Decision Making Under Uncertainty—Real Options to the Rescue?

Real options analysis (ROA) has been identified in the literature as a quantitative means to evaluate the flexibility inherent in the decision-making process. From an engineering economics perspective, this paper highlights applications, real-world users, modeling approaches, ROA assumptions, and future research directions. Through identifying and systematizing the current literature, a concise summary of modeling concerns and a road map for future modeling efforts and applications is discussed. More specifically, this paper supports research efforts to combine decision analysis tools with financial option pricing techniques to develop a real option framework that will be accepted in industry to make decisions in today's fast-paced and highly competitive business environment.